Using the theoretical work of Edward Said to frame his analysis, James argues that the legacy of Orientalism has shaped Western environmental philosophy to this day. Examining the work of leading Western environmental ethicists, he identifies two contrasting Orientalist images of the East in general, and of India in particular, as being either a romanticized Other, with inherently ecological teachings beneficial to the West, or a primitive, irrational, and puerile Other whom the West has far surpassed.